Issue #173: 12+ Things I'm Obsessed with from 2024
Plus my favorite books, shows, and movies from the year.
🎥 ‘Queer,’ in theaters: Not nearly as commercial as ‘Challengers’ or ‘Call Me By Your Name,’ this latest film from director Luca Guadagnino adapts William S. Burrough’s novel of the same name, about American expats and beatniks living in Mexico City. The movie takes a psychedelic turn when the protagonist, Lee (played by Daniel Craig), invites a young man he’s infatuated with to South America, in search of the drug “yage,” which both Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg famously explored. If you thought the ‘80s dance moves in ‘Call Me By Your Name’ were something, wait till you get to the trippy modern dance scene in ‘Queer.’
📚 Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker: What begins as a satire on wellness with astute observations on motherhood develops into a page-turning psychological thriller that turns the protagonist’s carefully curated life inside-out, as the past she’s worked so diligently to cover-over comes roaring back in with a letter from her mother. Thank you to all who joined our Zoom discussion of this November Book Club pick! I’m pausing Morning Person Book Club over the holidays, but plan to restart early next year!
📺 “Sweetpea” on Starz: A sort of feminized take on ‘Dexter,’ Rhiannon (played by Ella Purnell) wants a lot of people dead, if only as a fantasy—manspreaders on the bus, coworkers, her childhood bully. After her father dies, Rhiannon finally snaps and acts on her rage in this delightfully dark series.
In the midst of a destabilizing crisis—recovering from an addiction, grief, or major life change—people are fond of saying, “The only way out is through.” It’s a phrase I heard time and time again when I separated from my husband in the summer of 2022, and fell into the darkest grief I had ever experienced. Just keep going through. I repeated it like a mantra, even when I didn’t fully believe it, until 2023 brought me close enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Heading into 2024, I decided to take a year-long sabbatical from my master’s program, to rest and make room for other opportunities. It meant giving up my spot at a dream internship site and graduating a year behind my cohort, but also allowed me the space to dive into practices, address health concerns, settle into my new home, and, most importantly, support the launch of my novel, You’re Safe Here with a seven-city book tour. At the tail-end of summer, I fulfilled a dream to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the other side of the world, spending a collective six weeks in Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.
There were plenty of small stumbles and bigger setbacks throughout the year, but something fundamental shifted as soon as I got back from my trip. I looked around and realized, I’ve made it through. I’ve finally found myself on the other side, at that elusive “through” and I am so damn happy to be here. As I’m typing this, I’m filled with an enormous sense of gratitude for where I am now, a place where I can finally marvel at the life I’ve built for myself. Read on for a selection of smaller obsessions that made this year one I’ll never forget, including the purchases, books, and curiosities I can’t get enough of:
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